Determining quality of voice calls over a packet network

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method for managing a voice call over a packet switched network, in which the voice call is rerouted when voice quality is below a predetermined level. In particular, the voice quality is determined by calculating a parameter representing the voice quality based on information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss. Preferably, R-factor and MOS is calculated based on the information obtained from Cisco CDRs during the call session.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to internet telephony techniques, and more particular, to a method for determining voice quality in a voice call over a packet network and rerouting the voice call accordingly.

With the widespread of broadband Internet connections and the development of Internet telephony techniques, more and more calls are made over the Internet to take advantage of low prices. Though the users understand that they may have to sacrifice some voice quality, voice quality still needs to be kept at an acceptable level.

Currently, the objective methods for measuring voice quality of a voice call over a packet network such as the Internet using a protocol such as VOIP or SIP are mainly categorized into three types: 1) intrusive method: in this method, a reference signal is injected on one side of the network and collected on the other. An assessment of the quality of the network can be made by comparing any differences between the original and transmitted signals. This method gives a true end-to-end quality assessment, however, it is intrusive, requires a receiver to collect the transmitted signal, and does not account for network latency; 2) signal-based non-intrusive method: in this method, the voice quality is assessed by “listening” to ordinary phone calls and applying complex speech pattern recognition. This method is non-intrusive, and gives true end-to-end measurements. However, it does not account for network delay either. Moreover, it is impractical for a large-size fully-meshed network; and 3) parameter-based non-intrusive method: this method assesses voice quality by collecting impairment information from ordinary phone calls on the packet network. It uses the known E-model formula to derive the quality of a call. This method does not give true end-to-end results but only gives the voice quality of the packet network portion of the phone call.

The present invention is directed to the method of the third type as explained above, i.e., the parameter-based non-intrusive method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for managing a voice call over a packet switched network based on voice quality of the call.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a convenient and effective method in determining voice quality in a voice call over a packet switched network, which is a parameter-based and non-intrusive method.

It is further object of the present invention to provide a method in monitoring the voice quality of a voice call over a packet switched network.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of rerouting the voice call when the voice quality is below a predetermined level.

According to the present invention, a method for managing a voice call over a packet switched network is provided, in which the voice call is rerouted when voice quality is below a predetermined level. In particular, the voice quality is determined by calculating a parameter representing the voice quality based on information regarding a codec, network delay and packet loss.

In a preferred embodiment, the information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss is obtained from one or more gateways. Preferably, the gateways comprise at least one Cisco gateway, and the information is obtained from Call Detail Records available in the Cisco gateway.

In a preferred embodiment, the parameter representing the voice quality comprises a Mean Opinion Score (MOS), which is calculated from an R-factor using Equation 1 as below: MOS=1+0.035R+R(R−60)(100−R)7*10⁻⁶   (Equation 1)

In a preferred embodiment, the R-factor is determined based on the information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss from the following equations, wherein d_(cdr) and the PL are the network delay and the packet loss provided by Cisco CDR, and:

for G.711 R=93.2−0.024d−40ln(1+10PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 2a) R=112.7−0.134d−40ln(1+10PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 2b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+94

for G.729 R=82.2−0.024d−44ln(1+9PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 3a) R=101.7−0.134d−44ln(1+9PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 3b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+114

for G.723 R=97.7−0.134d−50ln(1+8PL)   (Equation 4) and d=d _(cdr)/2+186

In another preferred embodiment, the R-factor is determined from the following equations:

for G.711 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[0+40ln(1+10PL)]  (Equation 5) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+94

for G.729 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[11+44ln(1+9PL)]  (Equation 6) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+114

for G.723 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[15+50ln(1+8PL)]  (Equation 7) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+186

BRIEF EXPLANATIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages will be clearer after reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a voice call over a packet switched network using VOIP protocol;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a scheme of a typical telephone call which is arranged over a packet network using a proper protocol such as VOIP. A call initiated from a calling telephone 1 transmits over a link in a PSTN network 6. The call arrives at an originating gateway 2, where the PSTN call is translated into packet data and routed through a internet 3 to a terminating gateway 4, where the packet data is translated back into a PSTN call forwarded to a destination telephone 5. Therefore, there are two PSTN legs and one VOIP leg to complete the call.

Mean Optical Score (MOS) is a standard published by the ITU to evaluate a voice call. In addition, the ITU has published other standards to objectively measure call quality, including a non-intrusive, parameter-based objective method called “E-model”. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with E-model applied to calculate the MOS score to measure the quality for a call through a VOIP network.

As known in the art, MOS can be calculated as a function of the R-factor as follows: MOS=1+0.035R+R(R−60)(100−R)7*10⁻⁶   (Equation 1)

Alternatively, the MOS can be obtained from R-factor according to Table 1: TABLE 1 R-factor and MOS score comparison R-Factor Perceive Quality MOS 90-100 Best 4.34-4.5 80-90 High 4.03-4.34 70-80 Medium 3.60-4.03 60-70 Low 3.10-3.60 <60 Poor <3.10

Mathematically, the E-model is defined as: R=R _(o) −I _(s) −I _(d) −I _(e) +A   (Equation 8)

-   -   where: R: R-factor         -   R_(o): Basic Signal to noise ratio         -   I_(s): Impairment occurring simultaneously with the voice             signal         -   I_(d): Impairment caused by one way delay         -   I_(e): A combined impairment caused by Codec & packet loss         -   A: Expectancy Factor

According to the teaching of the present invention, the R-factor is preferably calculated based on information regarding the codec, network delay and packet loss obtained from the network, preferably from one or more gateways in the network.

In a preferred embodiment, the codec, network and packet loss information is obtained from Call Detail Records (CDRs) available in one or more Cisco gateways in the network.

Preferably, the information is obtained during the call session. The R-factor and the MOS score are calculated immediately with the obtained information so as to dynamically monitor the call quality during the call. The calculation results are fed back to a management unit for back-end processing, and are used to update routing tables.

Preferably, as soon as the R-factor or MOS score is below a predetermined threshold, a routing engine immediately reroutes the call according to the updated routing tables. Thus, the call can be rerouted in real time during the call session.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the steps of a method for managing a voice call over a VOIP network according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The call starts at block 100. After the call is established, information regarding the codec, network delay and packet loss is obtained from the network during the call, at block 101. In a preferred embodiment, such information is obtained from Call Detail Records (CDRs) available in one or more Cisco gateways. A Cisco gateway can either be an originating gateway or a terminating gateway, or both.

R-factor is then calculated based on the obtained information regarding the codec, network delay and packet loss according to a proper formula (examples given in detail below), at block 102. Preferably, MOS is calculated from R-factor according the Equation 1 or Table 1, as explained above.

The calculation results are compared with a predetermined reference value which represents an acceptable voice quality threshold level, at block 103. If R or the MOS is above the threshold, the call is kept in the path without being rerouted, and periodically the steps 101-103 are repeated so as to monitor the call quality. If R or the MOS falls below the threshold, as decided in block 103, the routing table is updated and the call is rerouted, at block 105.

After the call is rerouted, steps 101-104 are repeated to keep monitoring the call, until the call ends at block 105.

A first exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention for calculating the R-factor in Equation 8 is now described in detail below. In this embodiment, the information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss is obtained from Cisco CDRs.

Determining A:

The Expectancy Factor A is used to increase the MOS score for destinations with inherent poor quality such as cell phones, hard to reach areas and developing countries. Since customers have come to expect lower quality to these destinations, what might otherwise sound poorly to a “normal” destination is acceptable in these cases. Therefore, in this embodiment according to the present invention, is assumed to be zero “0”.

Determining R_(o)−I_(s):

R_(o)−I_(s) are constants throughout the conversation in the call session, regardless of the transmission medium. In this embodiment, the R_(o)−I_(s) is set as follows: R _(o) −I _(s)=93.2   (Constant 1)

Calculating I_(d:)

The impairment factor I_(d), is a function of the mouth to ear one-way delay d. I_(d) is calculated from the following equations: I_(d)=0.024d if d=<177.3   (Equation 9) I _(d)=0.024+0.11(d−177.3) if d>177.3   (Equation 10)

In this embodiment, the one-way delay d will be an additive delay that includes the codec delay (d_(c)) the network delay (d_(n)) and the jitter buffer delay (d_(j)): d=d _(c) +d _(n) +d _(j)   (Equation 11)

In this embodiment, since d_(n) can be obtained from Cisco CDRs, the challenge becomes to derive default values for d_(c) & d_(j) that are gateway specfic. In the lab we set d_(n) to 0 and assumed d_(c) and d_(j) to be a combined constant that does not depend on network conditions.

In a preferred embodiment, we assume the following constants for a network where Cisco gateways are adopted. Although we must make this assumption for simplicity, we need to acknowledge that: 1) d_(j) varies with network conditions. Models that account for jitter and bursty packet loss are still being researched by the academic community—a few that have been proposed are very complex, given their use of statistical theory; 2)These constants may not be accurate when a non-Cisco device is present in the call flow. dc+dj=94 ms, for G.711   (Constant 2) dc+dj=114 ms, for G.729   (Constant 3) dc+dj=186 ms, , for G.723   (Constant 4)

Since d_(n) is the network delay as provided by Cisco CDRs, let us rename it as d_(cdr) and I_(d) now becomes a function of the codec, and network delay. In this embodiment, since the CDR delay is round-trip, it must be halved. I_(d) can then be shown to be: where: d=d _(cdr)/2+94 for G.711 codec   (Equation 12) d=d _(cdr)/2+114 for G.729 codec   (Equation 13) d=d _(cdr)/2+186 for G.723 codec   (Equation 14)

It is worth noting two points: 1) The delay introduced by Cisco seems to be excessive but we did verify that the results obtained by Radcom are accurate. This Cisco issue had already been identified in earlier works and has been verified again; 2) The measurements indicate that the delay increases as a function of packet loss as depicted below. This may be a result of varying jitter buffers or other Cisco-specific algorithms.

The impact on delay can be approximated as functions of packet loss (PL), and codec as follows: d _(c) +d _(j)=15pl+94 for G.711 and PL<2%   (Equation 15) d _(c) +d _(j)=2pl+125 for G.711 and PL>=2%   (Equation 16) d _(c) +d _(j)=10pl+114 for G.729 and PL<2%   (Equation 17) d _(c) +d _(j)=1.25pl+132.5 for G.729 and PL>=2%   (Equation 18) d _(c) +d _(j)=40pl+186 for G.723   (Equation 19)

For simplicity, we have assumed the delay introduced by Cisco to be constant (constant 2, 3 and 4) but this can be modified later if needed.

Calculating I_(e:)

I_(e) is calculated from the following equations: Ie=40ln(1+10PL) for G.711   (Equation 20) Ie=11+44ln(1+9PL) for G.729   (Equation 21) Ie=15+50ln(1+8PL) for G.723   (Equation 22)

Equations 20, 21 and 22 are derived from curves generated from the G.113 I_(e) data as listed in Table 2: TABLE 2 G.113 I_(e) data G.729 G.723 G.711 G.711 % PL (VAD) (VAD) w/o PLC w/PLC 0 11 15 0 0 0.5 13 17 1 15 19 25 5 1.5 17 22 2 19 24 35 7 3 23 27 45 10 4 26 32 5 55 15 7 20 8 36 41 10 25 15 35 16 49 55 20 45

Calculating R:

From the above derivations, following equations can be concluded from Equation 8 for calculating R:

for G.711 R=93.2−0.024d−40ln(1+10PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 2a) R=112.7−0.134d−40ln(1+10PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 2b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+94

for G.729 R=82.2−0.024d−44ln(1+9PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 3a) R=101.7−0.134d−44ln(1+9PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 3b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+114

for G.723 R=97.7−0.134d−50ln(1+8PL)   (Equation 4) and d=d _(cdr)/2+186

Following is a second exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention for calculating the R-factor in Equation 8 is now described in detail below. In this embodiment, again the information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss is obtained from Cisco CDRs.

Determining Expectancy Factor A:

Expectancy Factor A is still assumed as “0” in this second embodiment.

Determing R_(o)−I_(s):

In this embodiment, R_(o)−I_(s) is revised as follows: R _(o) −I _(s)=100   (Constant 1—revised)

This is because we realize that is more realistic and practical to assume that under perfect network conditions, where packet loss and delay are non-factors, a “perfect” MOS score of 4.5 will be obtained. If we set MOS equal to 4.5 in Equation 1, then: 4.5=1+0.035R+R(R−60)(100−R)7×10⁻⁶   (Equation 23)

In order to satisfy equation 23, the R factor must equal 100. Therefore, by setting I_(d) and I_(e) equal to 0 (perfect network conditions where the delay impairment and the codec/packet loss impairments are non-existent) and by setting R to 100 in equation 1, we come up with the revised Constant 1 as above: R_(o)−I_(s)=100.

Calculating I_(d:)

In the art, the G.107 recommendations define I_(d) as the delay impairment factor that is in turn subdivided into three factors: I _(d) =I _(dte) +I _(dle) +I _(dd)   (Equation 24)

-   -   where: I_(dte) gives an estimate for the impairments due to         talker echo         -   I_(dle) gives an estimate for the impairments due to             listener echo         -   I_(dd) represents the impairment due to the end-to-end one             way delay

We must assume that echo chancellors are present in the voice path and that their affects on delay are negligible. Therefore, let us assume I_(dte) and I_(dle) to be 0 and I_(d) becomes a function of I_(dd) only, which is in turn a function of one-way delay: I_(d)=0 for d<100 ms I_(d)=25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2} for d>100 ms   (Equation 25) where X=log(d/100)/log2

Because dc+dj is equal to 94 ms (for G.711) or 114 ms (for G.729) or 186 ms (for G.723) (see Constants 2, 3 and 4), we can therefore assume d to always be greater than 100 ms (even for G.711 codec, where the native codec delay is 94 ms, we can safely assume that network delay d_(cdr) will be greater than 12 ms) and Equation 25 applies for all codecs and network conditions.

Calculating I_(e:)

Same as in the first exemplary embodiment, I_(e) is calculated from the following equations: I _(e)=40ln(1+10PL) for G.711   (Equation 20) I _(e)=11+44ln(1+9PL) for G.729   (Equation 21) I _(e)=15+50ln(1+8PL) for G.723   (Equation 22)

Calculating R:

From the above derivations, following equations can be concluded from Equation 8 for calculating R:

for G.711 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}[0−40ln(1+10PL)]  (Equation 5) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+94

for G.729 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[11+44ln(1+9PL)]  (Equation 6) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+114

for G.723 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[15+50ln(1+8PL)]  (Equation 7) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+186

Though the above has described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it shall be understood that numerous adaptations, modifications and variations are possible to those skilled in the art without departing the gist of the present invention. For example, the information regarding the codec, network delay and packet loss can be periodically and/or dynamically obtained from the network. In stead from a Cisco CDRs, the information may be obtained from other types of gateways or devices in the network. Moreover, the present invention may be applied to voice calls over packet network using other protocols as well, such as SIP protocol. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is solely intended to be defined by the accompanying claims. 

1. A method for managing a voice call over a packet network, comprising: obtaining information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss; calculating a parameter representing voice quality of the call based on the obtained information; and rerouting the voice call if the parameter is below a predetermined value.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameter comprises a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) calculated based on an R-factor.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said voice call is a VOIP call.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein said R-factor is determined as follows: for G.711 R=93.2−0.024d−40ln(1+10PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 2a) R=112.7−0.134d−40ln(1+10PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 2b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+94 for G.729 R=82.2−0.024d−44ln(1+9PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 3a) R=101.7−0.134d−44ln(1+9PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 3b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+114 for G.723 R=97.7−0.134d−50ln(1+8PL)   (Equation 4) and d=d _(cdr)/2+186
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein said R-factor is determined as follows: for G.711 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[0+40ln(1+10PL)]  (Equation 5) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+94 for G.729 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[1+9PL)]  (Equation 6) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+114 for G.723 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[15+50ln(1+8PL)]  (Equation 7) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+186
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said information is obtained from one or more gateways of said network during said call.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said information is obtained from Call Detail Records (CDRs) available in at least one of said one or more gateways.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or more gateways comprises at least one Cisco gateway.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a routing table.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said rerouting is implemented during said call.
 11. A method for determining voice quality of a call over a packet network, comprising steps of: obtaining information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss; and calculating a parameter representing the voice quality based on the obtained information.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said information is obtained at one or more gateways of said network.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said gateways comprises at least one Cisco gateway.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said information is obtained from Call Detail Records (CDRs) available at said Cisco gateway.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein said parameter comprises a Mean Opinion Score (MOS).
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said MOS is obtained from an R-factor.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said call is a VOIP call.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein said R is obtained from following equations: for G.711 R=93.2−0.024d−40ln(1+10PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 2a) R=112.7−0.134d−40ln(1+10PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 2b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+94 for G.729 R=82.2−0.024d−44ln(1+9PL) if d=<177.3   (Equation 3a) R=101.7−0.134d−44ln(1+9PL) if d>177.3   (Equation 3b) and d=d _(cdr)/2+114 for G.723 R=97.7−0.134d−50ln(1+8PL)   (Equation 4) and d=d _(cdr)/2+186
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein said R is obtained from following equations: for G.711 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[0+40ln(1+10PL)]  (Equation 5) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+94 for G.729 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[1+9PL)]  (Equation 6) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+114 for G.723 R=100−25{(1+X ⁶)^(1/6)−3(1+[X/3]⁶)^(1/6)+2}−[15+50ln(1+8PL)]  (Equation 7) where X=log(d/100)/log2 and d=d _(cdr)/2+186
 20. A method for managing a voice call over a packet network, comprising: monitoring a parameter representing voice quality, said parameter being calculated based on information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss; and rerouting the voice call if the parameter falls below a redetermined value.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein said information is obtained from Call Detail Records (CDRs) available in a Cisco gateway in said network.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein said information is dynamically obtained from the network during the call.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein said information is periodically obtained from the network during the call at a predetermined interval. 